Tribute

Larry Mauws — inventor, entrepreneur, speed demon, and incorrigible rulebreaker — died on Monday, May 11, 2020. He was 82 years old.

Larry liked to call himself an entrepreneur, which he was. But truth be told, he only became one because he didn’t like others telling him what to do or, more importantly, what not to do.

Born in Saint Alphonse, MB, Larry was destined to grow up on, and eventually take over, the family farm in nearby Cypress River. But Larry knew all too well that, if he stayed on the farm, his parents would be in charge as long as they were alive. So when he graduated from high school and was given the choice between the farm and an education, it was an easy choice to make.

Larry studied agricultural engineering at University of Manitoba. While in Winnipeg he met and married Elsie Rigaux and the two of them had a daughter, Susan. During that time, Larry also landed a job with Case Power & Equipment. Larry did well at Case and was soon transferred to Portage la Prairie, MB, where his son, Michael, was born.

Soon after he arrived in Portage, Larry made a name for himself racing snowmobiles. He started off riding for fun and, in the process, developed lifelong friendships with Ken Baccus, Ed Bailey, Bob Demman, Jack Ediger, Bob Francois and Bryce McRorie among others. Eventually, he started racing snowmobiles and, in 1970, he won the Canadian Power Toboggan Championships in Beausejour, MB, with more than 20,000 people looking on.

Despite his success with Case, Larry knew “corporate life” wasn’t for him. He knew he’d never turn his “dreams into reality” working for someone else. So when the opportunity arose, he struck out on his own. From that point onward, he would be his own boss.

Larry started, acquired, and bankrolled numerous businesses. Tires, furniture, RVs, cars, motorcycles, snowmobiles, and three-wheel police vehicles were just a few of the things they sold. They provided Portagers with access to a roller rink, curling rink, racetrack, hotel, conference facility, lounge, shopping mall, nightclub and several restaurants. They also made Portage the home of the world’s biggest Coke can. Some were successful, some were not. The end result was a sometimes stressful but comfortable life.

Larry owed much of his business success to his family and friends. As he himself admitted, he liked starting businesses much more than running them. So it was that every family member, including his nephews, at some point ended up working for him or, in the case of his brother, investing in him. However, it was probably his long-time partners, Jack Ediger and Ed Bailey, who made the greatest contribution. They invested in him early on and stuck with him through both good and bad.

Larry may have made his living as an entrepreneur but, in his heart, he was an inventor. His most visible and successful invention was the GO-4, a three-wheel vehicle now used for parking patrol throughout the US. But there were others, many of which grew out of his lifelong fascination with energy conservation. In fact, that’s how Portage ended up with a new curling rink in the late 1970’s; Larry saw it as an opportunity to demonstrate how heat generated from an ice plant could easily be captured and used to heat adjacent buildings. It’s common practice now but, at the time, it was so innovative that a team of University of Manitoba researchers came to Portage to study it.

Larry didn’t have much interest in retirement, but heart and hip troubles eventually forced it on him. At first, he enjoyed working in the yard and visiting with his grandchildren and his neighbours, Rose and Albert Overwater. But in later years, he said all the rules and regulations of gated communities and seniors’ homes were going to be death of him. And he was right. The fall that precipitated his death happened while he was out for a walk which, at the time, was a violation of rules established to protect residents of his community from COVID-19.

Larry was predeceased by his wife Elsie (Rigaux), parents Leon and Alma (Delichte), brother George, and sister Lorraine. He is survived by daughter Susan, son-in-law David Clubine, and their son Christopher; son Michael and his children Gibson and Meredith; and brother Elmer, his wife Henriette (Fifi), and their four sons Ken, Kelly, Dan, and Don. A memorial will be planned for both Larry and Elsie once the social distancing “rules” have been relaxed. (Sorry, Larry!) Rather than flowers or donations, the family would much prefer that those who knew Larry send copies of any pictures they might have of him to larry@mauws.net.